EPA seeking peer reviewers for Pavillion fracturing study

Houston Chronicle

Published 9:45 am, Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking experts to do a peer review of its already-controversial draft study that suggested a likely link between hydraulic fracturing of wells in Pavillion, Wyo., and groundwater contamination.

In December the EPA said in a draft study that it had discovered synthetic chemicals associated with gas production and hydraulic fracturing fluids inside deep water wells in the region -- the first time the agency had ever drawn such a link. But the study quickly came under fire from Republicans and industry representatives. They said the study was flawed and/or warned the public against misconstruing the findings.

The EPA has said it would send its findings for peer review. In a draft filing, the agency invites the public to nominate reviewers who meet certain subject-matter and research-experience requirements.

"This draft report is not final as described in EPA's Information Quality Guidelines, and it does not represent and should not be construed to represent final Agency policy or views," the EPA said.

Although the EPA's findings apply only to the gas field in west-central Wyoming, validation of the study in peer review would give ammunition to environmental groups that have contended groundwater contamination can result from fracturing -- the process where mixtures of water, sand and chemicals are blasted deep underground to break up shale rock and free up trapped oil and gas.

The oil-and-gas industry has defended the practice, saying there's still no conclusive link between fracturing and groundwater contamination. Industry has ramped up fracturing extensively in areas such as the Rust Belt that are home to shale-rock formations, as companies seek to tap the nation's estimated 100 years of natural gas supplies.

The study could come under fire from Republicans on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Energy and Environment Subcommittee. The panel has scheduled a hearing on the Pavillion study for Feb. 1.

In a letter to EPA from Calgary-based Encana Corp., the well operator in the Pavillion field, the company raised concerns that the list of subject areas the agency wants on its peer-review panel was too narrow.

Doug Hock, spokesman for Encana Oil and Gas USA, said the company still thinks the list has improved but is still missing some important subjects, including well construction, and quality assurance and quality control regarding how EPA sampled groundwater. Microbiology also should be on the list because EPA detected bacteria in some groundwater samples, Hock said.

The EPA said in its filing that peer reviewers would be provided with any comments the agency gets from the public-comment period on its draft study. Hock said he was pleased but noted the company has asked for an extension of public comment period "so we can provide very thorough and full comment."